It was three numbers on the huge screen in the gym in Antwerp that put Pauline Schäfer-Betz in emotional distress on Monday evening: The 10 for the team ranking already meant at that point that no German women’s team would be competing at the Olympic Games in Paris will go. The 2nd place on the balance beam meant that she had shown the second best routine in the world behind Simone Biles, and the 17th meant she qualified for the all-around final this Friday.
When she saw these numbers, she didn’t know “which emotion was appropriate right now or how you should feel,” said Pauline Schäfer-Betz shortly afterwards. She first has to sort out her thoughts and emotions; it is “really a roller coaster ride of emotions.” No wonder: The German team’s failure to qualify – in the end they were exactly 0.169 points short, i.e. the proverbial breath – means that Pauline Schäfer-Betz will definitely be competing in Paris.
“Extremely a lot of pressure in advance”
This is ensured by the, as usual, extremely complicated procedure that the world association has come up with for this Olympic cycle. Under the keyword “Criteria 4”, it states that the 14 best all-rounders at this World Cup who do not come from a nation that qualified as a team will qualify by name for Paris. And “namely” is the crucial word. This starting position is not held by the German Gymnastics Federation, but by Pauline Schäfer-Betz personally.
She has already won gold, silver and bronze on the balance beam at world championships since 2017. On Monday she thrilled the audience not only with her precision, elegance and lightness, but also with the side flip with a half turn, an element that she invented herself six years ago. But the now 26-year-old has never focused solely on her favorite equipment, but has always focused on the all-around competition, which is important for the team.
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“There was just a lot of pressure in advance,” said Schäfer-Betz, describing the situation before the performance. After all, the team had to cope with the short-term injury-related absences of Elisabeth Seitz and Emma Malewski. In Antwerp, Schäfer-Betz withstood this pressure until the very end Pose standing on the ground. “Pauline is one of the most talented gymnasts I have ever worked with,” praised head coach Gerben Wiersma. The DTB signed the Dutchman in the spring and wanted to make a statement as part of its “Performance with Respect” project.
A project that is ultimately primarily thanks to the courageous behavior of this very woman who, together with other gymnasts, made the abusive training practices at the Chemnitz base public three years ago. After the conclusion of this World Championships, Pauline Schäfer-Betz, who is still considered by some gymnasts to be a “fouler”, can prepare for her third Olympic Games with her coach Kay-Uwe Temme in a relaxed manner.
